Full ships, a bustling city: Hanse Sail 2026 attracts half a million visitors

Anyone who came to Rostock for the 35th Hanse Sail didn’t have to stay on the quayside. Many visitors experienced the festival at its best by going on board. Whilst the traditional sailing ships were still moored in tight clusters in the morning, they set sail one after the other as the day went on, heading out onto the Baltic Sea. Thousands of guests were on board, as the opportunity to sail along was one of the biggest attractions of this major event this year.

Over 15,000 tickets sold for sailing trips

This is also evident from the figures: according to the organisers, the Hanse Sail booking centre sold 15,225 sailing tickets for a total of 372 trips this year. On almost every one of the 120 participating vessels from seven countries, guests set sail on the Baltic Sea several times a day – aboard square-rigged ships, schooners or historic motor yachts.

​Bettina Fust, Head of the Hanse Sail Office, says:

"These historic ships are, and always will be, at the heart of the Hanse Sail. The fact that so many people wanted to come aboard again for the 35th anniversary shows just how great the enthusiasm for maritime tradition is."

​The event was explicitly not aimed solely at experienced sailors. Anyone who had never been on board a traditional ship before could lend a hand under the guidance of the regular crew or simply enjoy the trip. For many visitors, that was precisely the essence of the event: not just watching, but being part of it.

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The Hanse Sail attracted many visitors

According to the organisers, a total of around 500,000 people visited Rostock between 6 and 9 August. Hotel occupancy stood at over 95 per cent, whilst multi-storey car parks and park-and-ride facilities were operating at full capacity for much of the period. The Hohe Düne naval base also attracted thousands: from Friday to Sunday, around 22,000 visitors were counted there and on board the frigate “Brandenburg”.

And so the organisers’ overall assessment is largely positive. Although wind and rough seas did restrict some parts of the programme at the start – the opening fireworks display had to be cancelled for safety reasons – the “Baltic Crossing Challenge” was not spared either: one of the 18 water sports enthusiasts who had set out to cross the Baltic Sea from Gedser to Rostock had to give up halfway – the Water Police and the DGzRS came to their aid. Overall, however, the major event took place without any significant incidents.

​The 35th Hanse Sail finally drew to a close on Sunday evening as the ships set sail. The next edition is scheduled to take place in Rostock from 5 to 8 August 2027.

More about the Hanse Sail Please read here.